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tion. By 2009, he was promoting a $ 90,000 Pro Mod race at Carolina Dragway.
Today, Hitman Productions provides an important stage for the notime and grudge racing community, including Hill’ s growing Xtreme 4.840 / Small Block Boost format. His events consistently attract racers from across the Southeast and beyond, combining traditional notime competition with structured classes and meaningful payouts. That formula has even helped draw established grudge racers back into regular competition.
Hill’ s impact also extends to the next generation of promoters. Other independent event organizers have cited“ The Hitman” among the people they study and admire for building a loyal racer and fan following.
After decades as a driver, tuner, and promoter, Hill remains one of the people most responsible for giving grudge and no-time racing a place to thrive. – NATE VAN WAGNEN
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TJ Pruitt
When it comes to drag racing in the South – especially in the Pro Mod category – nobody has kept the grassroots movement alive and in the spotlight more than TJ Pruitt.
Pruitt’ s mission started off small, creating DragCoverage. com while still in college to help keep racers and fans updated on local events. He then used his platform to begin promoting events in 2016, and over the past decade has led some of the biggest events the South has to offer.
“ Drag racing in the South is about more than just the cars,” says Pruitt.“ It’ s about family, community, and pride. When fans leave, I want them to feel like they’ ve been part of something special. And when racers leave, I want them to already be planning their return.”
Currently, Pruitt helps promote the Southern Outlaw Tour, a four-race grassroots Pro Mod series across Alabama and Mississippi. The biggest of these races is the annual Night of Fire, held in
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Tom Gunner and Michael Poland
In just a few years, Tom Gunner( left) – better known as Jimmy Dale – and Michael Poland have turned a grassroots racing idea into one of small-tire drag racing’ s fastest-growing movements.
The Texas duo created Lil Gangstas as an approachable, headsup 5.30-index class for racers who wanted something beyond traditional bracket racing without the cost of increasingly quick small-tire competition. The formula worked: simple rules, no scoreboards or timeslips, and a format designed to put dormant cars back on track and give racers a realistic performance target.
By 2026, Lil Gangstas had expanded into a three-race championship during the Drag Illustrated Winter Series and all 16 Street Car Takeover events, with Gunner and Poland working toward bringing sanctioned Lil Gangstas races to tracks nationwide.
Their influence extends beyond promotion. Gunner won the inaugural Lil Gangstas race at the 2025 World Series of Pro Mod for a then-record $ 30,000 payday, while Poland has worked behind the scenes, developing sponsorships, partnerships, and driving opportunities that have pushed Gunner into increasingly quicker cars.
What started as two racers trying to create more opportunities for themselves has become something much larger: a national platform bringing cars, racers, and new energy back into grassroots heads-up drag racing. – NATE VAN WAGNEN
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August at Alabama International Dragway in Steele, Alabama. The race features two classes for Pro Mods, including one specifically aimed at nitrous cars, as well as multiple index categories, bracket racing, and jet cars. A special feature this year is a 32-car shootout for Super Pro cars, with the winner receiving entry into the Mickey Thompson Million Dollar Race in September.
Night of Fire routinely packs the stands with roughly 5,000 spectators, giving the nearly 300 local racers in the pits the opportunity to be true main-event stars for a weekend. The 2026 version aims to be the biggest in the event’ s history. For Pruitt, treating every racer and fan like they’ re important is what makes his events stand out from the rest.
“ The local racing community is what inspires me to put on events,” Pruitt says.“ My vision is for local, grassroots racers to get the same recognition as professionals and race in front of huge crowds. We make every racer and fan that rolls through the gate feel like they are the most important person on the planet. Yes, the money and racing can be great, but it’ s even more exciting to race in front of a grandstand full of spectators.” – CRAIG COOK
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Jason Miller
Jason Miller has built a reputation as one of drag racing’ s most successful independent promoters by serving two distinct audiences without compromising either one.
Through Miller Brothers Productions, Miller and his late brother, Chris, launched the MI- ROCK Superbike Series in 2001, establishing the foundation for what eventually became the Xtreme Dragbike Association. Revived as XDA in 2018, the series has grown into one of the premier stages for all-motorcycle drag racing, offering professional and sportsman competitors a dedicated championship tour with an emphasis on strong purses, contingency programs, and consistently prepared racetracks.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY DRAG COVERAGE, LUKE NIEUWHOF, SHAWN KELLY |